Fast Pitch Slows Boy's Baseball Dreams

10-Year-Old Told He Cannot Play In Youth League Because Of His 40 MPH Fastball

(CBS/ AP)  Jericho Scott is a good baseball player - too good, it turns out.

The right-hander has a fastball that tops out at about 40 mph. He throws so hard that the Youth Baseball League of New Haven told his coach that the boy could not pitch any more. When Jericho took the mound anyway last week, the opposing team forfeited the game, packed its gear and left, his coach said.

Scott, who turned 10 Wednesday, celebrated his birthday on CBS' The Early Show, expressing his wish to play baseball.

"God gives people gifts and you should be able to use them," Jericho said, in between showing off his arm for The Early Show.

Jericho's parents said they briefly thought of putting their son in a league with older children, but decided against it, unwilling to separate him from all his friends.

"They all want to stay together," Jericho's mother, Nicole, said.

Officials for the three-year-old league, which has eight teams and about 100 players, said they will disband Jericho's team, redistributing its players among other squads, and offered to refund $50 sign-up fees to anyone who asks for it. They say Jericho's coach, Wilfred Vidro, has resigned.

But Vidro says he didn't quit and the team refuses to disband. Players and parents held a protest at the league's field on Saturday urging the league to let Jericho pitch.

"He's never hurt any one," Vidro said. "He's on target all the time. How can you punish a kid for being too good?"

The controversy bothers Jericho, who says he misses pitching.

"I feel sad," he said. "I feel like it's all my fault nobody could play."

Jericho's coach and parents say the boy is being unfairly targeted because he turned down an invitation to join the defending league champion, which is sponsored by an employer of one of the league's administrators.

Jericho instead joined a team sponsored by Will Power Fitness. The team was 8-0 and on its way to the playoffs when Jericho was banned from pitching.

"I think it's discouraging when you're telling a 9-year-old you're too good at something," Nicole Scott said. "The whole objective in life is to find something you're good at and stick with it. I'd rather he spend all his time on the baseball field than idolizing someone standing on the street corner."

League attorney Peter Noble says the only factor in banning Jericho from the mound is his pitches are just too fast.

"He is a very skilled player, a very hard thrower," Noble said. "There are a lot of beginners. This is not a high-powered league. This is a developmental league whose main purpose is to promote the sport."

Noble acknowledged that Jericho had not beaned any batters in the co-ed league of 8- to 10-year-olds, but say parents expressed safety concerns.

"Facing that kind of speed" is frightening for beginning players, Noble said.

League officials say they first told Vidro that the boy could not pitch after a game on Aug. 13. Jericho played second base the next game on Aug. 16. But when he took the mound Wednesday, the other team walked off and a forfeit was called.

League officials say Jericho's mother became irate, threatening them and vowing to get the league shut down.

"I have never seen behavior of a parent like the behavior Jericho's mother exhibited Wednesday night," Noble said.

Scott denies threatening any one, but said she did call the police.

[danettejw]

I feel terrible for this boy. What kind of league is this? My son just turned 9 and he pitches consistantly at 40-45 mph. We also have a child who pitches at 48 mph. This is normal pitching speed at this age. This child should be encouraged to use his skill. I have a feeling politics are at play in this league.

[stupidrules3]

The kids a danger to the other players. This is suppose to be fun not life threatening. Obviously this kid has pitching down maybe he should work on mastering other positions.


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Posted by cbscrash07 at 02:23 PM : Aug 27, 2008

A 40mph fast ball is not life threatening. It''s okay if this kid blows all the competition away with his fast ball because the other kids will all get a trophy anyway. Little league sports have been ruined by the attitude that these kids will be scarred for life if they lose. These morons are ruining our kids by not letting them lose sometimes. When they grow up they will expect the coddling to continue and that is not going to happen. Kids learn the same way adults do, THE HARD WAY. Deal with it.

[bhappy2-2]

Let him play! Who knows, maybe your kid will improve if he is pitching to them.

[donevis-2009]

What a Crock!! Why can''t they let Jericho pitch a couple of innings and then take him out. The coach shouldn''t allow him to over pitch his arm anyway. Sounds like sour grapes from the "Employer of one on the leagues administrators".

[smclemore69]

These parents should teach their child that it''''s opportunity for them to learn how to hit against a fast pitcher and they''''ll be a better hitter in the next league as a result of it. Tell them to watch the ball leave the pitchers hand and don''''t take their eye off of it until it hits or passes their bat. It''''s a great opportunity for every player here to be a better hitter. Enough of all of the political correctness. In life, there will always be a looser. Let the boy play.

[barbaram99]

Happy birtday dear..hE SHOULD PLAY BALL..i LOVE BASEBALL. The is good at it and may be he play pro some day.Rather him play ball than hsng with the wrong kids.

[libsluv2spit]

HAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAH!!!

i guess Youth Baseball League had gone politically correct..what a load of liberal cr ap!!!

[attucabin]

Reading an updated article from the New Haven paper it sounds like a ringer situation to me. Apparently the kid plays on an all-star team where he is an average to slightly better than average pitcher. I am curious how he came to join a league where the season was already in progress, and on the day he joins he pitches 5 innings, then 3 more innings the next day and then 5 innings a few days later -- all in the same week. I don''t believe any sanctioned youth baseball league would allow that.

I think some answers are necessary. For example, I would like to know why a kid who plays on a travel all-star team suddenly is added mid-season to a rec. league team? Why was he not registered at the start of the season? Are there any other kids in the league who play on all-star teams or is he the only one? I am less concerend if every team has a couple of ringer type players.

Initially it struck me as very wrong to prohibit the kid from playing if this was his only opportunity to play ball. After reading that he already plays on an all-star team -- it makes we wonder what really is going on here. I have little patience with parents or coaches who stick kids on rec. teams who should be (or are) in travel ball so they can clean up against rec. level competition. That''s just wrong in my book.

[hbevis]

JCAMBonestee at 08:45 PM : Aug 27, 2008

What you wrote is the greatest. You had the right words to say in this case.

THANKS

[hbevis]

JCAMBonestee at 08:45 PM : Aug 27, 2008

What you wrote is the greatest. You had the right words to say in this case.

THANKS

[jcambonestee]

This is ridiclous!!! When I was 10 years old and I played in Florida. I was also a pitcher. I throw a ball at approx 53 MPH fast ball. And I still played. My coach said to me one time, "You have a gift. You are given these players a opportunity to work hard at the batting area. Don''t give up. Make them work hard and earn to be a better player against your ability of thrown a fast ball." I had three teams who did the same things (forfeit the game) because I was too good. My coach made me and my catcher go to our mound and throw one ball, just to show them that we played our part and they didn''t. One month later, those three coaches were suspended coaching the teams for three years. The rules are clearly in the book that you can only forfeit the game, if you are short on players or dues to the bad weather.

Those coaches who wont play against this kid''s ability, then they are stupid for having a laziness players. I applauded Scott. Don''t give up. If those teams who won''t play against your abilities, you are the CHAMP! Because they wont challenge you. If I were you, Scott, if those teams walked away or forfeit, I suggest you and your catcher go to your mound and throw one ball and walked away from them.

For those who mention about getting hit by fast ball, that''s baseball. No pitchers are perfect. Even in major leagues players knows that.

GOOD LUCK, SCOTT!

[andsab]

"I have never seen behavior of a parent like the behavior Jericho''s mother exhibited Wednesday night," Noble said.

Who can blame her. That is ridiculous, to say you as a 9 year old pitch too fast, you can''t play with us anymore.

As someone said on another website about this story, "Thank you for contributing to the wussification of America"

[shanev137]

When Jericho took the mound anyway last week, the opposing team forfeited the game, packed its gear and left, his coach said.

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What a bunch of littlepussies.

[questionnews]

JohnGaltWho

I did 4 years ago & the (10 & 11 year old) kids were just as you described. Not the cream of the crop. But the league rule was that the players had to rotate positions between innings. It doesn''t appear that this league does that. Would that rotating plan work for you?

[johngaltwho]

anitaymoore - he can play up. sounds like the parents just want to live vicariously through their kid on the sideline at the expense of the league and their own kid''s development in a sport where he shows real promise.

[johngaltwho]

Questionnews:
Have you ever coached kids sports? Rec leagues are often full of the kids who got picked last at school. Kids who struggle to swing level let alone hit the ball. Kids who rarely catch pop flies cause they stick their glove so far from from their bodies that they fear getting hit. I''m not saying its always that way or its that obvious but many of these entry level leagues are there just to get the kids to gain some self esteem, get them moving and inter-acting, and getting them to discover the fun and challenge of competition. If you put a kid into this type of league who clearly does not belong, no one is well served. I''ve coached elite soccer, elite fast pitch softball, rec soccer and rec softball. If you let any of the elite pitchers pitch in the rec league, you would almost certainly see frequent no hitters and the game would not be enjoyable for anyone. Real athletes thrive on competition not just success.

[poker_champp]

anitaymoore, 40 mph is not that fast. It is roughly equivalent to a pitch of 55 mph from major league distance. It would barely cause a bruise.

[anitaymoore]

It''s a shame that the boy cannot play on that league and for that I feel for him, but as a parent...I also understand the concern that at some point, with the speed of his pitches (which is amazing) someone could be hurt accidentally. All it would take is just ONE child being hit with a pitch like that and all hell could break lose in another fashion.

I understand he wants to play ball and somehow he should be able to, any child who wants to play sports should be able to somehow. But it''s also not right to make the kids who are learning the sport and trying to gain self-confidence in the sport face a 40mph pitch.

I''m not sure what the best solution here is. Perhaps fostering his natural talents in pitching during practices but playing him in a different position during the games until he''s old enough to move up?

[questionnews]

JohnGaltWho

Whether it be baseball, tennis, chess etc.. nothing motivated & drove me to get better at something more than having someone else kick my @ss at it. I worked harder at it & dedicated myself at practise until I did get better. After a while I was as good as the guys that used to dominate me. And that is a great feeling that any kid could use to better themselves at other things in life.

[johngaltwho]

I wouldn''t be so quick to attack the league and the other parents over this issue without knowing some more details. There is a huge difference between entry level recreational leagues and competitive travel or club teams. Kids who can excel at a club level do not belong at a rec level. It completely defeats the purpose. Some parents with talented kids prefer to let their kid succeed by dominating in a league for which they are poorly suited but that really does not benefit the young athlete. Sure, he will be popular with his teammates and win alot of games but he won''t learn how to hit pitchers who can throw like he can and he won''t learn to develop different pitches cause now speed is all he needs. The kid should be "playing up" for the sake of his own development and to preserve the sporting integrity and the mission of the entry level rec league.